The Amherst news-times. (Amherst, Ohio), 1997-11-26

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Amherst News-Time
Wednesday, November 26, 1997
Amherst, Ohio
$
Holding facility
to be eight-hour
jail until force's
numbers higher
by APRIL MILLER
News-Times reporter
The Amherst city jail will continue to operate as an eight-hour
holding facility, rather than become
a five-day facility after council
killed discussion of hiring corrections officers at the Nov. 17 council
meeting.
Mayor John Higgins said he did
not see how a five-day facility could
bperatc for less than $250,000 a
year, a cost which the mayor said
would drain the budget and leave no
money in the capital improvement
fund. He said he would rather use
the money to hire additional
officers.
The original estimate to run the
jail as a five-day holding facility
was $140,000, given to council in
April by lieutenant Lonnie Dillon,
jail administrator. Dillon said the
costs may have increased slightly
since April, but not much.
In his estimate, Dillon included
the correction officer's salary, prisoner meals, linen service, medical
expenses, personal hygiene expenses and fringe benefits for a full-
time corrections officer.
The estimates arc wilh the facility
running al full capacity, which is six
cells housing one prisoner each.
The mayor said he estimated a
higher cost because a considerable
amount of personnel would be
needed as well as the cost of meals,
health care, uniforms, laundry and
exercise programs for the prisoners.
"When ihe facility opened we
purchased much of the equipment
needed to operate as a five-day facility," Dillon said.
Prisoner uniforms and bed linens
were among  the  items purchased
when the new jail opened. Medical
expenses can be estimated Dillon
said, bul could range from a small
amount to a large amount.
In Dillon's estimate he gave to
council he allotted $5,000 per year
for medical expenses. The money
would cover emergency room, ambulance and dental costs not covered
by the prisoners' own health care.
"The biggest expense would be
hiring more people," Dillon said.
There are 17 full-time officers
and seven part-time officers now
working for the city, but more
would be required if the facility is
changed.
If additional officers are hired as
the mayor said he would like to do
within the next few years, Dillon
said the facility could become a
five-day facility because the manpower would then be available.
"The changing arena of corrections is never predictable," Higgins
said. "But for the next two to three
years wc intend to run an eight-hour
holding facility. The money will
dictate what we do with the
facility."
Corrections officers would be
needed if the jail became a five-day
facility because an officer would be
required to be at the jail 24 hours to
oversee the prisoners. As the facility
is organized now, an officer checks
on prisoners once an hour, which is
a state requirement for such
facilities.
If a prisoner needs to be detained
longer than eight hours, an officer
must transport him or her to the
county jail, which costs the city $55
per day. Using officers to transport
the prisoners is also a problem, Dillon said. The time used for transpor-
CONTINUED on page 3
Travel plans
Students at St. Joseph School get a taste of a traveling science program — "Chemistry is Cool" — sponsored by COSI
Columbus, on Monday. Brought to the school through the efforts
of the Educational Enrichment Co'mmittee, students learned
through hands-on experiments about many of the everday substances they use, such as toothpaste and lip balm.
Construction manager to oversee renovation
by APRIL MILLER
News-Times reporter
After the problems experienced
with the construction of the new police station, city council wants to
take no chances on the exterior restoration of city hall.
At the Nov. 17 meeting, members
sent to council floor on emergency
the hiring of a construction consultant from Construction Resources, a
third party consulting business
headquarted in Mentor.
A construction consultant was
used in the building of the new jail
facility, but not unul the end. when
problems had already risen. A consultant came in to oversee the correction of the problems, mayor John
Higgins said. Problems with the jail
included inferior materials and poor
workmanship, he said.
"The consultants are knowledgeable people," Higgins said, "espe
cially in the areas of masonry and
roofs."
The consultant will be used to
draw up specifications for the restoration, oversee the bid process and
the installation of equipment and
materials for correct procedure and
quality.
The estimated cost for the restoration, including the cost of the construction consultant is $250,000,
said die mayor. That is an additional
$75,000 from the first estimate
made on the building, he said. The
money will come from the general
fund and the city hall maintenance
account.
Navy man finds adventure
at sea's worthy experience
for dealing with life ahead
When Luke Marshall left home in
1992, he went in search of adventure, education and experience. In
sltort, he joined the Navy.
Today Marshall, 23, son-in-law
of Dan and Carol Solak of Amherst,
serves at the Naval Weapons Siation
in Yorktown.
Marshall admits that many different elements influenced his original
decision lo enlist.
"I thought it would be a good experience," he said. "My father, my
uncles and my grandfather were all
in the military, so this influenced
my decision a great deal."
And today at Yorktown, the third
class petty officer is making a significant contribution al one of the
Navy's weapons stations.
The Naval Weapons Station has a
critical role in lhe Navy's mission. It
provides ordnance and technical
support io sustain the war-fighting
capability of the Atlantic Fleet and
was recently recognized for its efforts in environmental management,
pollution prevention and environmental quality, earning awards from the
Department of Defense, secretary of
the Navy, chief of naval operations
and Naval Sea Systems Command.
A mess management specialist,
Marshall currently serves as the
baker for the base.
"As the baker for the base, I make
pastries, assist the galley in cooking
meals and decorate ceremonial
cakes," said the 1992 graduate of
Oberlin High School. "I also have a
collateral duly, serving on the auxil-
ary security force."
Marshall added lhat his time in
the Navy has been beneficial personally and professionally.
"Personally, I've traveled a lot
and seen a number of countries such
as Greece, Spain, Italy and Turkey."
he said. "Professionally, I've
learned lhat teamwork is the most
important thing in the sea service.
I've learned some great skills and if
you stay flexible and can adapt lo
any situation, everything runs
smoothly."
Marshall, who has been married
lo the former Jennifer Solak for
three years and has one daughter,
'Olivia, one, said he has definite
plans to leave the sea service when
his enlistment expires.
"My goal is to move back to Ohio
and enjoy my family," he said. "I
definitely would like lo stay in thr
customer service field, bringing the
valuable skills and leadership I've
learned in the Navy into the civilian
sector."
No mailer whai Marshall does, he
will always be able to look back on
his lime in uniform with pride.
Luke Marshall
"The building continues lo deteriorate," Higgins said. "We will
make minor repairs to get through
the winter, and hope to start the project after winter."
The bell tower and the roof are
the main concerns in the restoration.
New mortar will also be applied,
said the mayor.
Judge gives
boy's killer
maximum
Nathan Eden, the LaGrange man
convicted of killing Harris Elementary School fourth grader Jacob
Balda in January, was sentenced to
seven and a half years in prison this
week by Lorain County Common
Pleas judge Thomas Janas.
Eden, 46, was earlier convicted
of aggravated vehicular homicide,
driving under the Influence and five
other charges.
Eden voluntarily agreed to contribute 15 percent of his monthly
retirement benefits from USS/Kobe
Steel Co. to the trust fund set up by
the boy's parents, Tim and Mary
Jean Balda.
Ten-year-old Jacob was killed on
a Saturday afternoon when Eden
drove through a stop sign and hit
the family's van. Tim Balda was
driving the van and the two had
just attended the boy's ice hockey
game.
This was Eden's second drunken-
driving accident. He seriously injured a woman in an accident last
year. The seven-and-a-half year
sentence was the maximum allowed
under the law.
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